Vision to Venture
Twice as many women are starting businesses as their male counterparts. In this vein, Microsoft Office Live Small Business is offering a conference series called Vision to Venture about entrepreneurial dos and don'ts for women.
The event will feature guest speakers Susan Wilson Solovic, author of "Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business" and co-founder of sbtv.com; Rich Sloan, author and co-founder of startupnation.com; and John Jantsch, author and founder of Duct Tape Marketing. Vision to Venture is being held in St. Louis, Mo., San Diego, Miami, Austin and Seattle on April 2nd; for those who cannot attend these conferences, an on-demand webcast will be available in mid-May.
Solovic suggests that anyone thinking about starting a business outline their vision of the business and communicate that vision to others in a way that allows them to understand the vision as well. Articulating a vision appropriately is sometimes a challenge for women, Solovic says.
She also recommends developing a good business plan with a mentor.
"Particularly for women just starting out, mentors play a critical role in that they offer a level of expertise and comfort entrepreneurs may not find elsewhere in their daily lives," Solovic says.
Sloan advises entrepreneurs to keep in mind their life plan as well as their business plan.
"Entrepreneurs are often so focused on the service or product they want to develop -- they forget that they also will need time tot take care of other aspects of their lives," Sloan says. "Everyone should plan how much time they are willing to invest in their small businesses."
He adds that a business should not own the person running it and that this can sometimes be particularly challenging for women who often balance work, family and other obligations.
For more information and registration instructions, go to http://www.smallbusiness.officellive.com/v2v.
